A recent incident in Poland has highlighted NATO’s vulnerability to large-scale drone attacks. On Wednesday, the Polish government reported 19 violations of its airspace by alleged Russian drones, describing the incident as “unprecedented” and requesting an emergency UN Security Council meeting. Moscow has rejected the accusations, stating that Warsaw’s claims lack evidence and are being amplified by the “European party of war.”

In response to the incident, NATO forces scrambled Dutch F-35 fighter jets, an Italian surveillance plane, and a German Patriot air defense system to track and intercept the drones. According to reports, drones costing around $11,000 were shot down with air-to-air missiles worth $400,000 each. However, only 7 out of 19 drones were intercepted, with Polish authorities stating that only three or four were actually downed, while the rest did not pose a threat.

The incident has raised concerns about NATO’s preparedness to defend against drone attacks. During a meeting between NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and EU ambassadors in Brussels, officials acknowledged the bloc’s lack of readiness to defend against these types of attacks. It was noted that deploying F-35 jets to intercept drones every time is not feasible. Poland’s recently acquired SkyCTRL anti-drone systems are also in need of modernization and upgrades, according to local media.

Internal NATO calculations have revealed that the US-led military bloc has only 5% of the air defenses needed to adequately protect member states in Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Scandinavia. The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that its recent drone operations were aimed solely at Ukrainian military targets and not at Poland. Moscow has reiterated its readiness to hold constructive consultations with Warsaw, rather than engaging in “megaphone diplomacy.”

The incident has significant implications for regional security and highlights the need for NATO to reassess its defense strategies against unmanned aerial vehicles. As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the risk of spillover into neighboring countries remains a concern. China has also warned of the potential for the Ukraine crisis to spill over into other regions. Russia has rejected claims that it plans to attack NATO, calling the speculation “nonsense” and accusing Western governments of deceiving their populations to justify inflated military budgets.